Show Review: Dark Black: 12/5/10

AKA: With Fear I Kiss The Burning Stenchcore

And with mild feelings of regret I missed the opening band, D.H.C. (Demonic Harlot Children), because they would have lightened my mood, been a final breath of fresh air before descending into the brimstoney dimensions of eternal stench.

Infernal Graves were some mildly interesting crust(core from the depths of hell). I watched a few songs maybe, then went into the back room to hang out.

If the bands were going in the order of the flier, then the next band was Bruxers. They looked kid of dumb, so I took off and went to Merchants cause I was bored and out of beer. Jimmy Jazz was there, and let me ask you WHY is that guy is ALWAYS at the bar whenever I decide to randumbly go drinking somewhere by myself? Uncanny.

I was hoping that when I got back, Dark Black would be about to play, but there was some (true infernal stench)crust being provided by Battleshok, it seems.

My main objective of the night was to see a full set by Dark Black, because I had missed most of their set the night before. I had also gotten them on this show, and wanted to be a lone voice of support in case they were panned by the moldy denim vest and rat infested dread crowd, living in protest of all things melodic and non stenchy. It turned out that Dark Black were really sporting lads, and agreed to play a short set on this over booked and running late Sunday night show. It also turned out that the crusty crowd loved them. They didn't throw their rotten dumpstered vegetables or or unleash their snarling trainyard hounds.

Dark Black got kind of mad at me because I bought their old CD instead of their new one, which is what their whole set list was from, but the old shit is way better, let's face it. I was really tired, so I bailed before Dodsfalla played. Sorry Jaraldo.

Show Review: Huntress, Char Man: 12/4/10

And so then I decided to make up for the laziness of the previous month by pulling one of my all time favorite moves of going to two shows in one night. And tonight’s manouervre, the tricky proposition of going back and forth between two shows, was made feasible only by the close proximity of the venues. And so it began. I ditched out on the crew going for pre game sustenance at Taqueria Cancun to squeeze into Sub Mission Gallery just in time to catch the whole set of Hooray For Everything. This band has Jamie Sanatate, one of the original guitar players of Annihilation Time, on drums, some other bloke on bass, and a lady who sings and plays guitar. I was struck this time, having no distractions really to keep me from putting full attention on the band, by how retro they sound, and by retro I mean 90s retro, because it’s not straight up garage pop/garage rock; it has these little flourishes of post punk punk weirdness to mix things up. They seem to remind me of The Muffs, which may be a lazy comparison due to the raspy female vo-killz.

I bolted right at the end of the set, and I had to come up with a HELL of a story, let me tell you, for the bouncer of Sub Mish, to leave and be allowed to come back in. The fascistic no ins n outs policy of that venue was indeed the greatest obstacle in my quest of becoming immortal that night, but I believe I negotiated it rather well.

MEANWHILE BACK AT BENDER’S: The show still hadn’t begun yet, but a pretty good crowd was building. Dark Black began playing. They’re from Portland and they sound kind of like the simpler and more accessible songs of Diamondhead. I caught a couple of songs only before heading back over to Sub Mish. Walking past the Beauty Bar, I pulled some dude’s stupid ass engineer hat down over his eyes, then punched him repeatedly in the nose. Then I pushed him over onto the garbage strewn sidewalk, took out his iPhone and set it to vibrate, and shoved it up his ass. Sideways. I love The Mission these days!

MEANWHILE BACK AT SUB MISSION: Char-Man was already playing when I walked in. these were some dudes from the Ventura county area, playing dead simple rock music. I found it pleasing, mainly because it was these mexican kids, wearing sunglasses, looking tuff while they played. It worked. Plus, the drummer was Tony Bro, the old drummer for Annihilation Time! I felt a tap on my shoulder, I looked over and it was Porcho! Ventura was indeed in the house. I awkwardly stuck around in between Char-Man and Unfun, forcing undrunk (that's right I was NOT drinking this night! Unbelievable.) conversations with the few who were straggling inside the venue. Most of the crowd was jammed out on the back smoking patio, and I had no desire to sardine with this mass of (in?)humanity, nor inhale their fumes. Unfun had been in town last a few months prior, and I believe that they were STILL ON TOUR! Almost home though. Fuck. Yes, they sound like Jawbreaker, but with the raspy vocal thing taken to such and extreme that it's almost like death metal vocals. A strange combo.

MEANWHILE, BACK AT BENDER'S:
Dark Black had finished, and now everyone was milling about waiting for Huntress to begin. After a while, they did. I had seen them the night before, so I knew what to expect: NWOBHM style rock, with four blokes on instruments and one lass with a microphone belting it out. Anyone who denies that the big focus here is not the music, but the stage presence of singer Jill Tuesday, has no penis, or if they do, they don't like to put it in vaginas. She has a strong voice, "Roberta Halford" comparisons were thrown around, and took command of the stage, bar tables, umm... projector screen, whatever she could get her claws on. The crowd ate it up.

Next were Walken, San Francisco self proclaimed kings of rock. They did proclaim that, right? If they didn't they deserve it anyway. They were their usual selves, and I believe I've described their sound elsewhere in this stupid blog before. Playing while wasted is something that most of us have mastered pretty well, and it seems they have too, as it's quite necessary when headlining Bender's.

After the show we battled assholes for taxi cabs, went to a party in the Western Addition, and later passed out back in the Mission at about 5AM.